Miami Hurricanes coach Manny Diaz looks ahead to the UM football game against Florida on Friday.

The roles were reversed at this same point last year. The Miami Hurricanes went into their big opener on a national stage against an SEC power as the No. 8 team in the country and looking ahead to a season of high expectations.

This time, Miami is the underdog. That 33-17 loss to LSU in Dallas — only that close due to a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns with the game in hand for the Tigers — and the four-game losing streak later in the season are behind the Hurricanes.

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The Manny Diaz head coaching era is set to begin, and what a stage for him to debut, in front of a national audience against a longtime rival in the No. 8 Gators.

Quick slant: A rivalry renewed to open the college football season in “Week 0,” the UM-UF matchup gets the spotlight a week ahead of the rest of the teams opening their seasons. Miami leads the all-time series 29-26 and has seven wins in the last eight meetings, dating back to 1986.

About Miami (0-0): Going from a 10-win season in 2017 to 7-6 a year ago, Diaz, Miami’s defensive coordinator the past three seasons, looks to return the Hurricanes to their glory days as the team’s new head coach. The Hurricanes haven’t beaten a top-10 team away from home since Nov. 5, 2005 at No. 3 Virginia Tech.

About Florida (0-0): The Gators come in similar to how UM entered last season — riding high after a 10-win season and a New-Year’s-Six bowl game, topping Michigan in the Peach Bowl, and a No. 8 preseason ranking.

Three things to watch

1. Beyond how redshirt freshman quarterback Jarren Williams handles himself in his first career start, it will be on his two freshman tackles to protect him. True freshman Zion Nelson is in slated to start at left tackle, while redshirt freshman John Campbell is expected to start at right tackle against a Gators pass rush that features redshirt senior defensive end Jabari Zuniga. If the young blockers are rattled, it could be a long night.

2. How does offensive coordinator Dan Enos call the game given those circumstances? Does he lean heavily on running backs DeeJay Dallas and Cam’Ron Harris and ease Williams into his first start with underneath passes? Will he instead open it up with that conservative strategy possibly being too predictable and allowing Florida to stack the box against the run and press receivers?

3. Can the Miami defense stop quarterback Feleipe Franks and the Florida playmakers, notably running back Lamical Perine and wideout Van Jefferson? The Hurricanes will start three new players in the secondary on Saturday night. They can’t slip up and allow someone to break free for a long touchdown in a game that could figure to be a defensive struggle.